"Queer, feminist, angry, and beautiful."

When I say I want sapphic romcoms, this is what I want. I want sapphic romcoms that pack an emotional punch. That present the diversity and the affinity of queer womanhood. That have queer women who call themself queer with no explanation and bi women who have loved men. That have complex family dynamics that both are about queerness and absolutely are not. That feel like romance novels with romance tropes and everything that we love about romance and are at the same time fundamentally, intrinsically, profoundly and lovingly queer. Romcoms that f*ck and also fall in love. Romcoms with real, wild emotions and feminism and humor on every page. When I say I want sapphic romcoms, I mean I want this book.

Delilah Green is a historical romance alpha hero wrapped up in tattoos and soft butch vibes and I am into it. Delilah is a photographer who's hired to photograph her stepsister's wedding, and reluctantly returns home to discover that her childhood crush and stepsister's best friend is all grown up - and very queer. An Claire Sutherland is a single mom and bookstore manager who is just trying to live her best life and take care of her best friend in a retro polka dot dress and sexy librarian glasses. These heroines are strong and flawed and sexy and fantastic. They make bad choices and take big risks. They fall in love and try to resist falling in love. And they do it with humor and heart.

This book is the epitome of queer joy and we all deserve queer joy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for this ARC.

CW: death of a parent, toxic partner

I loved this book!
Delilah Green has the whole Anti-Cinderella thing going on with her stepsister, Astrid, and stepmother, Isabel, at times making me question whether she had self-destructive tendencies (she needs the cash from Astrid’s wedding photography gig, yet sabotages a champagne tower), before the reader learns she has a contract that gets her paid no matter what, LOL. The sexual tension between her and one of Astrid’s BFFs, Claire, was believable. Some hot sex scenes. Delilah struggling with her past in relation to her hometown, her stepmom, her stepsister, and the stepsister’s “coven,” as she called them, helped make her a complicated character. Claire struggling with abandonment issues in terms of her dad leaving the family, pregnant and married at 19, then having the baby daddy (Josh) flit in and out of her and Ruby’s life, also fleshed out her character. And as grown women, Delilah, Claire, Astrid, and another of Astrid and Claire’s BFFs, Iris, need to grapple with friendship opportunities lost, and how to move forward from here on out. One of the better lesbian/queer romances out there, in my opinion. Let’s see what Astrid’s book brings!

Delilah green Doesn't Care is a delightful romantic comedy featuring family dynamics, queerness in the art world, and opposites attracting! I immediately fell hard for both Delilah and Claire, who are facing unique challenges often not represented in romantic comedies.

Delilah has a pseudo-Cinderella story: her father died when she was a pre-teen, leaving her in the care of her new step-mother who didn't really want her, and her stepsister, who came off to her as cold and mean. When her step-sister invites her back to her hometown for her wedding, Delilah is unexcited--this changes when her step-sisters best high school friend doesn't recognize her and immediately flirts with her.

Claire is sweet, the sunshine to Delilah's grumpy, and is a single mother. Her ex-boyfriend is notoriously unreliable, so on top of raising her daughter she has to worry about his parenting on his custody days. I found her character really unique and fully-fleshed out, as were nearly all the other characters in this novel. I loved reading from both Claire and Delilah's perspectives--this novel was a joy to read all around.

I will definitely be featuring this book in multiple Tik Tok reviews leading up to release!

Delilah Green Doesn't Care is a perfect example of mixing romance, friendship, and family all into a hilarious and heartfelt novel. This is definitely one of those "I have to put this down and take a moment" books that just make you feel so many different things.

The relationships in this book whether they were romantic, familial, or platonic were so well-developed and emotional that I caught myself tearing up several times because they just felt so real.

This book was really like a warm queer hug after you see these characters experience different kinds of heartbreak, and heal from them through their bonds.

While this book is primarily a romance, I really appreciated all the parts of the book pointing out that friendship and family are also important.

Listen, this is the sapphic romance I have been waiting for! Everything about this book has just checked off all the boxes for me and I couldn’t put this one down!

I really enjoyed the changing dynamics in this book as well as the character growth we saw in our two main characters. I also really loved how they grew up together but due to misunderstand kept them from being close till now.

I know that Astrid was made to be the Villain in Delilah’s story but I couldn’t help feeling bad for her. Her mother wasn’t great and she had trouble truly getting close to others so she ended up in a toxic relationship with someone just because she thought this is what her mom wanted for her. I really am glad Astrid and Delilah were able to fix their relationship because I don’t know if I would have been happy if that wasn’t resolved by the end.

Lastly I really loved how Delilah was able to be someone in Ruby’s life to support her art and express herself. It seemed to really help Delilah and heal the pain she still had from her childhood as well.

Overall a fantastic book and I’ve already preordered my physical copy because I need this one forever.

This book was delightful to read. There are so many Romantic Comedies that we've already seen, but this time they get to be queer and that makes for a really meaningful experience for the reader. Delilah Green is a character that could be unlikeable, but she is written with so much heart and care that the reader will root for her every step of the way. I didn't anticipate caring about Claire and the other characters as much as I did, but this cast of friends are so heartwarming and I'm glad there are plans to return to them in the future.

This book will need no help gaining traction and readership, but my library is purchasing a copy, and I plan to put this book in the hands of our Romance-reading patrons.

I was absolutely enchanted by this book!

Delilah Green is lured back to her home town for her estranged step sisters wedding. She has always felt like an outcast, but when her stepsister's best friend hits on her unknowingly at a bar, Delilah bets her step sister that she can get her into bed with her before then end of the two week wedding festivities. What Delilah doesn't expect to find is a real connections, friendship, and maybe even a sister.

This was such a fun, real and captivating read for me. The book has amazing bisexual and lesbian representation. Along with one of the main characters being a single mom, with added body positivity for women who have had children.

The way Ashley writes this story was so well done. You really feel the emotions of all the characters, and come love them, flaws and all.

Delilah Green Doesn't Care was the sapphic romcom I needed in my life, and it did not disappoint.

Delilah Green Doesn't Care is witty, sweet, and strikes you right through the heart. It was equal parts yearning for romantic love and familial love, equal parts steamy romance and healing from lonely childhoods. This book ticked all of my boxes.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Look, I am a simple woman. I see a sapphic romance novel, I’m going to read it. And THIS one was so, so very good.

This book was just an amalgamation of all the things I love to see in romance: wlw, grumpy and sunshine, the one bed trope, freaking ROLLER SKATING DATE. I mean, come on. It’s like the author looked into my soul and wrote this book for me and I am HERE. FOR. IT.

And I am also anxiously awaiting the sequel, especially after reading the sneak peek at the end of this one.

Such a cute sapphic rom-com!

I really enjoyed reading Delilah Green Doesn't Care by Ashley Herring Blake. The chemistry between the two leads was so hot, and their banter was on fire!

This was a quick, funny queer romance!

A photographer with a complicated family history and a bookstore owner with an equally complicated love life. Delilah Green swore never to go back to Bright Falls, not after her lonely childhood with her cold and distant step family. She has moved to New York and is determined to finally get her photography career the steam it needs and plus its a city filled with gorgeous women that she can casually hook up with. Too bad for her, Delilah caves and agrees to photograph her estranged step-sister’s upcoming wedding, plus it doesn’t hurt that it comes with a five figure check. Upon coming back into town she runs into Claire Sutherland, one of her stepsister Astrid’s best friends who she considered to be stuck up during their childhood years and makes a bet with Astrid that she could hook up with Claire by Astrid’s wedding. Claire on the other-hand is a single mom and bookstore owner. She’s got a complicated relationship with her ex and the father of her daughter who has a tendency to skip town and show up only when he feels interested. With an 11 year old daughter and running a bookstore by herself Claire hasn’t really opened herself up to dating, especially with an unreliable ex. However, when she runs into Delilah again both of them discover that despite knowing of each other for years, they don’t really know one another. Soon both Delilah and Claire begin to feel something more. On top of that both Claire and Delilah agree that Astrid’s fiancee is a horrible dude.. and that they might have to join forces to stop this wedding from going through. Filled with cute and sweet moments and a few mischievous ones too, this was a wonderful read, I loved getting to know Claire and Delilah and getting to see them fall for each other. Delilah is insecure from seeing her childhood as one in which no one wanted her... but is it really true? Claire is dealing with trust issues from her past relationships and has to decide is this finally the right person to let into her and her daughter’s life? Definitely check out this adorable story and get to fall in love with Claire and Delilah’s Love Story!

*Thanks Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group, Berkley for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Unsurprisingly, this was a total joy to read. I've been a fan of Ashley Herring Blake since I stumbled into Girl Made of Stars on a friend recommendation and couldn't stop reading until I finished. She brings her trademark blend of humour and heart to adult readers here, amping up the steam considerably, from flirty looks and blush-worthy brushes of knees and elbows, to lights on, door open orgasmic sex. Amid all the romance, she also sneaks in a powerful sister story, a conflicted journey toward belonging, and an allegory about making art in a world where image and self have a complicated relationship. I loved the layers and I loved the sweet and sexy romance at the center of the story. I'm also a sucker for Pacific Northwest small towns, having grown up in one, myself. I have no doubts this one will find lots of readers, and we'll all be clamouring for book two.

Delilah Green may not care, but I care way more than I should about her happiness and Claire's. These two beautiful, soulful sapphic darlings have taken up my brain and I cannot stop thinking about DGDC may just be my new favorite book. What a fucking masterpiece.

This book publishes 2.22.2022.
I won a bound copy from a giveaway hosted by the author. All opinions are my own.

ABSOLUTELY RECOMMEND. Delilah Green Doesn’t Care is a sapphic romance that knocked my socks off. This book had so many of my favorite tropes while also dealing with some serious, real world feelings. Delilah and Claire’s chemistry just JUMPS off the pages. Delilah is a character that felt like home to me. That lonely wound opening up scraped my insides and made me feel so much. There are trust issues to explore, family ties to mend, loneliness to overcome, and happy endings to watch. These characters just want to belong. The way these themes were navigated left me in tears more than once. The friend group in this had me laughing so hard especially Iris and her bad timing in almost every moment. Even though this story is told from 2 POVs, it feels like you’re seeing this story through every character’s perspective. I loved how deeply we got to know our MCs. Astrid, Claire, Ruby, and Josh all have strong development throughout and we do learn a little bit about Iris but I wish we had gotten to know Iris on the same level as the other characters. I care about them all so much. Queer women falling in love just gets me every single time. I want this made into a movie so I can experience it with all my senses. Claire is also a single parent with a coparent so I loved how easily a potential two mom crew was fed into this plotline.

Let’s make a trope list (because why not?):
-Best friend’s sister
-Single Parent romance
-Past bully turned lover
-One Bed
-The Bet
-Grumpy x Sunshine (with full and actual growth)
-Small town x city girl
-Artist’s Muse

I want to mention that there is a medication ‘joke’ line in this book (twice) which is a personal pet peeve of mine. I prefer to leave medications or lack thereof out of witty comebacks.

CWs: on page sexual content, toxic relationship (domestic/side character, parental/MC&SC), gaslighting (domestic/side character), panic attacks. Mentions to the past regarding: abandonment, death of a parent, death of a parent to cancer, infidelity.

This book was so fun, spicy, and full of heart. I love the contrasts between Delilah and Claire and how perfect they are for each other. I'm also obsessed with the queer rep and having a plus size character find love, and I'm glad her weight isn't used as a plot point. All of the characters are chef's kiss, even the shitty ones.

Thank you NetGalley, Berkley Publishing, and Ashley Herring Blake for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review! Delilah Green Doesn’t Care was everything I wanted and more and I enjoyed every second of it.

This book follows Delilah, who returns to her hometown to photograph her step-sister, Astrid’s, wedding years after moving to New York to start her photography career and get away from the family she feels like never loved her. As soon as she gets back she reunites with one of her sister’s best friends, Claire, and is instantly attracted to her.

This book is more than just a romance, but the romance was very good in it. I enjoyed all of the tropes and seeing Delilah and Claire’s relationship develop. It was very charming and felt realistic, plus I loved Delilah's relationship with Claire's daughter, Ruby. However, it was also about family, friendship, and realizing your self-worth.

I also really enjoyed the writing and I’m so excited for Astrid’s book! I’m giving this one five stars and I believe that it has something for everyone in it. I highly recommend it.

I fell in love with the cover and the blurb, but sadly the writing didn't sync with me.
There was nothing wrong with the story or the characters, I loved the idea of it and was looking forward to the story. But the writing left me wanting. My mind started wandering early on - maybe I needed more dialogues. Whatever it was, I lost interest pretty quickly and skimmed the rest of the book.
It sounds like I'm in the minority with my feelings, which makes me happy, because I can see the author going far.

Delilah Green Doesn’t Care is a queer f/f romance with some of my favorite tropes! We’ve got some Cinderella vibes, we’ve got there’s only one bed, we’ve got the grumpy sunshine trope, we’ve got a light hint of second chance romance.

Delilah Green grew up in Bright Falls, Oregon with her stepmother and stepsister after her father’s death when she was 10. It was a lonely nightmare and the second she graduated high school she took off to New York to begin her life as the queer badass photographer she is.

Now, her stepsister Astrid is getting married and she’s been hired as the wedding photographer.

Coming back to Bright Falls is not ideal, but when she gets hit on by Astrid’s best friend Claire on her first night back in town, something unexpected happens. A bet to get Claire into bed to annoy her stepsister turns into something wonderful and real.

Watching Delilah and Claire fall in love was sweet and very, very sexy. Seeing Delilah confront her childhood trauma and perhaps reinterpret it was cathartic. Seeing her make friends for perhaps the first time in her life was amazing!

I've never read Ashley Herring Blake's YA or MG books, but she is super beloved by the bookish community in general so I knew I *had* to check out her adult rom-com debut. [As an aside, so many YA authors have recently released/are about to release their adult debuts and I'm so excited by the prospect!] I enjoyed this one. The characters are well-drawn and the plot is interesting and steamy and humorous and heartfelt in all the right places. I do feel lately like I've been reading a lot of very similarly written sapphic rom-coms, however. There is this particular type of pithy, sarcastic, pop-culturey voice (Casey McQuiston and Alexandria Bellefleur immediately come to mind) that is very prominent right now, so it feels less fresh every time I come across another one. That said, I can definitely see myself picking up the sequel (which is focusing in on the character I found most compelling in this book, Astrid) and continuing to check out future adult releases from Ashley Herring Blake!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the advance review copy—all opinions are my own!

Oof this heartfelt queer romance hit me in my feels. From Claire’s complex relationship with Josh as they navigated coparenting, to Astrid’s toxic mother-daughter relationship with Isabel, to Delilah’s journey towards the vulnerability of acknowledging the truth that she *does* care—that she needs to be known and loved and wanted—this was a deeply emotional read. It was also downright sexy and sizzling with delicious chemistry between Delilah and Claire.

I loved Delilah and Claire’s connection, personal growth, and relationship arc. I loved the long-overdue reconciliation between Delilah and Astrid, whose miscommunications truly put my heart through the wringer. And I can’t wait to read Astrid’s story—the teaser at the end has me hooked!